Italian Contemporary Artists in London - Italian Embassy, 6 June 2011

Italian Contemporary Artists in London - Italian Embassy, 6 June 2011 Exhibiting artists Alessia E.R. Avellino is an Italian artist working in London. Her work features land city and seascapes exploring light and space, contrast and line atmosphere and movement. She graduated from Camberwell College of Arts in 2000 and has since won several awards and scholarships like the The Drawing Year at The Prince's Drawing School, the Bruce Church Scholarship and the Hugh Casson Drawing Prize at the Royal Academy of Arts, shared with Paula Rego and Frank Auerbach. Her work is in public and private collections including ITV television, BP, London, Homan, Fenwick & Willan, London, Yolles, London www.alessiaavellino.com alessiaavellino@gmail.com SCAPE 2011, Charcoal on paper Maria Ines Aguirre- MIA - was born in Entre Rios, Argentina - a land of which remains a great inspiration for her work. She graduated in fine art from the University of Tucuman, and won a scholarship to study with Fabrizio Plessi at the Accademia delle Belle Arti in Venice. She has had numerous solo shows in Europe and South America. Recent works include the London Elephant Parade, Natuzzi/London Design Week. In 2010 she was artist in residence at Steinway & Sons, London, where she painted a Model D concert grand piano, which will be launched later this year - a project inspired by her late Italian mother María Inés Manfredini, who was a gifted artist and pianist. www.mariainesaguirre.com miarte@herweare.plus.com NOTA DI NEVE, Oil on paper, 2010 cm 105 x 78 GLACIER oil on paper, 2010, cm 124x41 Enzo Barracco born in Sicily in 1973. Photographer, he lives in London and works around Europe. His artistic research is often inspired by nature. He exhibited in several group shows and participated to Premio Fernanda Pivano. He has done commercial work for firms such as Phaidon Press, Barclay s Bank, Estée Lauder, Park Hyatt Group, Montclair, Vivienne Westwood. www.enzobarracco.it barracco.enzo@gmail.com Works from the series OCEAN, 2011 Photographs Cristiano and Patrizio Alviti born and live in Rome. They started painting at a very young age and experimented, studied and measured themselves with various techniques. However, they never stopped developing the particular research which is peculiar to their work: the interaction between the expression of one's inner self and society. Their favourite technique is watercolour painting until they started to produce large-sized matter works (sculpture in bronze and concrete on wood and iron) and they commissioned by Rome s City Council to design and realize two sculpture-fountains, for two squares in Rome. The artists were invited to exhibit at the last Venice Biennale 2009,

with the exhibition ARCHEOVERTIGO, curated by Philippe Daverio, at Complesso Monumentale di Santa Maria Gloriosa ai Frari Archivio di Stato, Venice. www.igiganti.eu www.alviti.it cristianoalviti@yahoo.it patrizioalviti@yahoo.it P. Alviti, IMPRESSIONI 6, 2010, Concrete on Wood, cm 100x100 C. Alviti, 2 Sculptures: PRISONER 1, PRISONER 2, 2011, Bronze, cm 10x10x40 Francesco Caradonna born 1979 in Taranto, Apulia, Italy has worked as Film Editor and exhibited as Independent Photographer in Italy, USA and UK. He graduated from the Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, where he was initiated into the art of storytelling. He lives in London. He takes photographs seeking unusual perspectives working with both analogical and digital technologies. www.francescocaradonna.com seimiliardi@gmail.com HOLY DAMNED 2004 Photographs, Bologna Italy Holy Damned is an anthropological project. The artist spent months with a group of people addicted to crack before a famous street rave party, which takes place every year in Bologna. The details captured with this work want to show their pain and rage in a non-tragic, non-shocking and weird way. Annalisa Catelli was born in Turin and has lived in New York and London. She has a degree in Literature from Bologna University, and Fine Arts Painting degree from City & Guilds of London Art School, and has studied Drawing at Chelsea Art College. Solo exhibitions include Art Lounge, Birmingham; Walton Gallery, London; Vecchietti Gallery, Bologna; Lang Gallery, London; William Thuillier Gallery, London. Annalisa was selected for Art Prizes such as The Threadneedle Art Prize, The Celeste Art Prize, The Discerning Eye. annalisa.catelli@btinternet.com THE MEMORY OF THINGS TO COME, 2010 Painting, cm 92 x 120 The painting is inspired by Velázquez portraits of the Spanish court. In Velázquez paintings the personal objects of the sitter define the person they belong to. Annalisa uses these objects to symbolize the link between past and present. They represent the power of memory, both sentimental and cultural. The presence of the past is what helps us walk into the future. ATHENA, 2008 size 60cm x 60cm ARES, 2008 size 60cm x 60cm These paintings attempt to capture the complexity of human nature, from sublime to the vulgar, through the veil of Olympian divinities and mythology. Piera Costantini Scala, was born in Udine, Italy in 1971. She has a BA in Political studies and an MA in Contemporary art. Researched on the human condition, she has formed her perception by exploring and documenting the dynamics of ethnic populations. Focusing on the mysterious and foreign, Piera is interested in fading traditions. In her recent work she photographed the Saharawi camp in Algeria, and exhibited her series at the GLA center-mayor of London, the Thomas Williams Fine Art gallery and the Richmix foundation in London. Her work has also been shown at the David Gilles galleries, Fendi, Black and White gallery and a group show at the Serpentine gallery. Piera is also a portrait photographer and has her studio in London. www.pieracostantiniscala.com piera@pieracostantiniscala.com

TIMELESS TRACES FROM THE PUSZTA 2011 Photographs on resin paper mounted on board, cm 42 x 52 Puszta is a wild space in the Great Hungarian Plain, an enclave of the Eurasian Steppe. This series represents the artist s personal discovery of her roots from her grandfather's ancestry. Filiberto Crosa, an eclectic artist born in Torino in 1964, is always searching for different forms of expression. He believes that only through the use of different methods and materials can he properly express through his art the years spent observing, revisiting and narrating. He has exhibited in various important galleries in Italy and abroad. For example Marena Room s gallery, Turin, Cassiopea Gallery,Rome, Promotrice delle belle Arti, Turin and other group shows. www.filibertocrosa.it f.crosa@email.it AFRICA AMA 2011, Mixed Techniques cm 100 x 100 INDIA ARGENTATA 2009, Mixed Techniques cm 100 x 100 Raul Gabriel born in Buenos Aires suburbs 1966 grew up in Argentina and Italy. He worked and exhibited in Europe,U.S., China. Completely self-taught,he passed from music to visual arts in 1999. His work makes connection between body, writing and materials, exploring different kinds of media. Exhibitions include Mudima Foundation Milan, Quadriennale of Rome, Pino Casagrande Gallery Rome, Barbara Behan London, Broadbent Gallery London, Oberdan Space Milan, Artmbassy gallery Berlin-Miami, installations at Bologna art fair and Battersea Park, Grossetti Contemporary art Milan, Shangai world Expo 2010. www.raulgabriel.com raugab@gmail.com EXPLO, 2010 Resins enamel on polystyrene on canvas cm100x100 SHE, 2010 Resins enamel on polystyrene on canvas cm100x100 Andrea Giulivi (MA Fine Art, Central Saint Martins, London) born in Italy in 1967, has worked and exhibited in Europe and US. His practice investigates the concepts of Instability and Duality, dealing with ideas that relates to uncertainty, ambivalence, and indeterminacy, also stimulated by sociological and philosophical reflections, primarily rooted in the notion of Liquid Society and in the criticism of the humanistic/positivistic perspective. Recent exhibitions include Weltraum (Munich), We Are Arts Gallery (London), James Taylor Gallery (London), University of the Arts (London), Handswerkshammer (Cologne), Cascina Roma Museum (Milan), Alex Gallery (Washington DC), Oblong Gallery (London), The Biscuit Factory (London). He also holds an MBA and a PhD in Marketing. www.andreagiulivi.com agiulix@googlemail.com NOTHING (600) 2009; cm 120 x 160 x 9; keys, key-tags, wood, acrylic, iron, paper, ink NOTHING (1200) 2011; dimensions variable; keys, key-tags, prints The titles of 1200 self-helping guides according to the Harvard referencing system. Francesco Grillo, born in Cerignola (Italy) in 1974. He studied at the Accademia delle Belle Arti in Foggia. Later on he was selected for a stage in frescoes technique, organised by the M.A.C.A.M. and led by Silvano Gilardi (Torino).

His works have been selected for two important prizes, Andrea Pazienza in San Severo and the prize for the Limner Gallery in New York. In 2003 Grillo lectured at the Northern Illinois University in Dekalb (Chicago). Later on he moved to Rome where many exhibitions have been held, like Proiezioni at Collezionando Gallery in Rome 2008, Arts and Materials at Istituto Portoghesi in Rome 2008. The latest exhibition was Terra e Sale at Masseria Boezio in Ostuni (Bari) 2010. www.francescogrillo.com cesco.grillo@libero.it EXTENDING TO INFINITE, Pair, 2011 oil on canvas, cm 120 x 70 Stefano Minzi was born in Milan in 1976. He graduated in History of Art at Universita La Sapienza in Rome. From 2007 to 2009 Stefano Minzi lived in London where attended a Master course in Printmaking at Camberwell College of Arts (UAL). Since 1998 Stefano Minzi has been showing his works in Italy and abroad. Solo exhibitions include: Lorcan O'Neill Gallery, Rome, Galerie FMAB, Berlin Galerie L'Affiche, Milan; AOCF58 Gallery, Rome. In group shows Minzi has exhibited in New York, Berlin, London, Anchorage, Portland, and Japan. www.sminz.com sminz@sminz.com M51, 2011, printed canvas (Xerox transfer) cm 80x84 (6 canvasses each cm 28x40) OARAI, 2011, printed canvas (Xerox transfer) cm 80x84 (6 canvas each cm 28x40) Benedetto Pietromarchi, born in Rome 1972, lives and works in London. Currently artist in residence at the Kenneth Armitage Foundation. Has been showing in UK and Italy. Graduated from the Accademia delle Belle Arti of Carrara, after having gone through two years of architecture, which still influence his work. He is working with Josh Lilley Gallery in London. benedetto.pietromarchi@gmail.com UNTITLED 2011, Ceramic Sculpture Tristano di Robilant born in London 1964, grew up in Rome. He worked and exhibited both in the U.S. and Europe. He graduated from the University of California at Santa Cruz influenced in particular by the lectures of the architectural critic and historian Reyner Banham. Solo exhibitions include Holly Solomon gallery, New York, Annina Nosei gallery New York, and Dwight Hackett projects, Santa Fe in the U.S. Faggionato Fine Arts, London, Bonomo gallery, Rome and Bari, and Paolo Curti/Annamaria Gambuzzi, Milano. www.tristanodirobilant.com tristanodirobilant@gmail.com SISIFO QUATTRO 2010. Blown Glass (Courtesy Faggionato Fine Arts) Petroc Sesti, born in London 1973, grew up in Tuscany. He was educated at Byam Shaw and Chelsea College of Art. His exhibitions around the world include: Energy-Matter- Space-Time, Kistefos Museum Norway (2007), Fluid States at Carrie Secrist Gallery, Chicago (2008), Vanishing Point at Paul Kasmin (New York 2008), Etemad Gallery : British Art Today 'new works',dubai (2011), MONA Museum Tasmania (2011). Petroc s work will be part on the exhibition at Our Earth at Gran Palais Paris in 2012. www.petrocsesti.com petroc@petrocsesti.com IRIS, Pair, 2011 54 x 54 inch 2011 Acrylic reverse archival mounted

From a series of XL prints researching the human eye as a gateway to the soul. Petroc s inspiration stems from a fascination with the death of stars in outer space. The sheer scale, complexity and pigmentation of the supernovae captured by NASA s Hubble space telescope has been used to draw parallels with the form, colour and pigmentation human Iris. Carola Syz Sarzi-Amade`, originally from Rome, has lived in London for 20 years. She studied Art and Modern Languages and Literature in Rome and later Video Documentary and Drama at Westminster College, and Photography City & Guilds at Kensington & Chelsea College, in London. She creates abstract photographic compositions, taking everyday objects and capturing their own unique perspective. Through her photographic work she deconstructs and transforms them into fantasy shapes and abstract images. Carola is also a portrait photographer and currently working on a book project on Indian Contemporary Artists Studios. She has created several photographic series which portray different facets of the Indian and Chinese culture. Narlai (Rajasthan) Portraits and Details 2005, Yin & Yang 2007, Sightings 2008, Optical 2009, Mudras 2010. She has exhibited her work extensively in UK and Europe. Among her exhibitions are Galleria Antonacci, Rome, European Commission, London, The Nehru Centre, London. www.carolasyz.com info@carolasyz.com YIN & YANG, 2007 pair, Photographic print on Lacquered Aluminum, cm 50 x 70. Details of Space 798 in Beijing MUDRAS, Delhi 2010 pair, Lambda Dybond and Aluminum Francesca Tosarelli is born in 1984. She has been living in Brasil, Italy and the UK. After a degree in History of Arts and a Master in Photography she has been working as assistant photographer for Shobha (a Contrasto reporter) in Sicily, Thailand and India. In 2010 she began her experience as freelance photographer and she's now working with Matchbox Media Collective. Her work has been published on La Repubblica, El Pais, GEO France, Rainews24, Peacereporter, The Trip Magazine, Bite! Magazine, Private Photojournalism. www.francescatosarelli.com francesca.tosarelli@gmail.com Works from the series THE REBIRTH OF CONEY ISLAND, NYC, USA, 2010 Coney Island is a legendary place by the seaside, an hour from Manhattan. Known for the old fun-fair Luna Park (which was partially constructed by Italians), Coney Island was known an attraction for the weird and wonderful shows it put on and is a meeting place for blacks, Hispanics and those from the working classes. Coney Island exudes a peculiar and extraordinary charm, a zone apart, inhabited by contemporary freaks. Clara Turchi is a photography-based artist who is currently attending the 2nd year of the BA (Hons) Photography at the London College of Communication. Her photographs have been exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 2010, at What Now? 2011 at Siobhan Davies Studios, as well as in other art spaces in London and Italy. She recently won the ECCA competition and subsequent commission with one of the images from the series For The Guardians (the one on show tonight) and has been shortlisted for the Renaissance Arts Prize 2009 with the work London Eye (11x700cm) from her

Photo Syntheses series. Clara s works can be seen on DegreeArt.com, the leading Art dealership for emerging artists in the U.K. www.claraturchiphotography.com clara.turchi@googlemail.com BRILLO BOXES, 2010. Cm 46.5x58.5x3.5 From the series The Physical Impossibility of Memory in the Mind of Someone Living (The Future). Analog C41 print from large format negative UNTITLED, 2010. Cm 52x64x3.5 From the series For The Guardians. Analog C41 print from large format negative. In these works the audience is asked to pay attention to the consequences of the creation of a type of memory based on virtual experiences instead of physical ones, phenomenon that finally leads to the disappearance of the real and of the memory itself. In The Physical Impossibility of Memory in the Mind of Someone Living (The Future) this is manifested through the disappearance of art whose experience is more and more relegated to the virtual; whilst in For The Guardians it is the face that looses reasons to exist, unless it happens in a virtual world.